Giants sign QB who must be Daniel Jones' backup over Tommy DeVito vs. Raiders
You had a feeling this was coming sooner rather than later. With Tyrod Taylor considered week-to-week with his serious rib injury, the NY Giants were in desperate need for an extra body for the quarterbacks room.
The good news is that Daniel Jones is expected to start this weekend vs. Las Vegas, as he's been cleared for contact and set to practice on Wednesday. However, after what we saw over the weekend out of Tommy DeVito in the loss to the Jets, there's no question that someone with playing experience is needed just in case Jones re-injures himself. Enter Matt Barkley.
New York Giants sign veteran Matt Barkley to the practice squad
Moments ago, the Giants announced that they reached a new deal with the QB, with Barkley making his way to the practice squad. Make no mistake about it, though, Barkley needs to be elevated in the coming days and make the trip to Sin City.
DeVito is a great story, don't get us wrong here. He's a kid from New Jersey who not only made his NFL debut in Week 8, but he also scored a rushing touchdown. That's a score he's never going to forget and he'll surely tell his grandkids about it.
However, the big issue from the loss was that the Giants didn't let him throw the ball downfield. They gave up on the passing attack, with Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka showing no trust whatsoever in the rookie QB. That can't be the case moving forward.
Jones will get back to running the offense again, but with him being a bit injury-prone, bringing in someone like Barkley makes a ton of sense. The former USC standout has appeared in 19 games over his career, with seven starts. In that limited action, he's thrown for 2,699 yards, 11 touchdowns, but 22 interceptions. Yes, that's a bit concerning, but his experience alone makes him a better option than DeVito moving forward.